Monday night, the University of Michigan Diag was filled with over 100 voices chanting ‘Yes on three!’ as activists and Ann Arbor community members rallied for Proposal 3, also known as the Reproductive Freedom For All ballot initiative that will appear in the upcoming midterm election. The Reproductive Freedom For All proposal would amend the Michigan Constitution to enshrine the right to abortion, birth control and other forms of reproductive health care. Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June, access to abortion remains legal in Michigan for the time being under a preliminary injunction blocking a 1931 abortion ban. However, this injunction has already been challenged multiple times and there is no permanent legal protection for abortion in the state. The event kicked off with speeches from representatives for Promote the Vote — another ballot proposal this November, aimed at increasing voter accessibility — and the Reproductive Freedom For All initiative. Representatives spoke on the urgency of voting in this year’s election to support these ballot proposals and other Democratic politicians. Shanay Watson-Whittaker, deputy campaign manager for Reproductive Freedom For All, recounted her personal experience of having an abortion for an unplanned pregnancy. She said she was living in a shelter with her siblings at the time and was unable to financially support a child. “I had to make the decision to terminate my pregnancy because I could not imagine raising a child in that environment,” Watson- Whittaker said. “I could not imagine putting myself through that kind of trauma and putting my family, my siblings through that trauma of raising a child in that environment. So I made that decision. I don’t regret that decision at all because I don’t know where I’d be if I didn’t make that decision.” Watson-Whittaker urged attendees to vote ‘yes’ on Reproductive Freedom For All, which will appear as Proposal 3 on the ballot, and encourage other people in their lives to do the same. “S peak to your friends and neighbors and your family members about why you support Proposal 3,” Watson-Whittaker said. “Normalize the conversation around reproductive care. Normalize it. Talk to your friends, neighbors and family about it like it’s just a sunny day out here in Michigan.” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel was also in attendance Monday evening, as she recounted reading Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” in an English class as a U-M student. Nessel said the novel, which depicts a dystopian world where women are classified as “handmaids” and forced to bear children of high-profile government officials, mirrors the current state of reproductive rights in Michigan. “It’s not really fiction anymore, is it?” Nessel said. “It’s actually closer to reality because we now have a government that is able to regulate and politicize the bodies of women in a way that they, frankly, don’t regulate or politicize the bodies of men.” The event was organized by the University’s chapter of College Democrats. LSA senior Vivi Iyer, College Democrats co-chair, told The Michigan Daily there is still uncertainty about abortion access in Michigan, but she is motivated by the support of attendees and other activists fighting for Reproductive Freedom For All. “It’s encouraging to see so many people backing people who can get pregnant of all ages,” Iyer said. “I have more confidence that Prop 3 will pass.” Nessel also spoke at the rally about the importance of being politically engaged, especially for students. “If you haven’t gotten involved and you haven’t been engaged and you don’t vote, you’re not gonna get another chance to bring back your fundamental rights,” Nessel said. “Because once they’re gone, they’re gone and they’re not coming back.” Three multicultural lounges in University of Michigan residence halls will reopen this fall following the conclusion of recent renovations. The Abeng Multicultural Lounge in East Quad reopened on Sept. 13. The Edward Said Multicultural Lounge in North Quad and the Yuri Kochiyama Multicultural Lounge in South Quad will open on Oct. 12 and Nov. 15, respectively. The lounge reopenings this fall are part of the Multicultural Lounge Program, which consists of 18 lounges in total, all housed within U-M residence halls. The program was first created by U-M alum Dr. Harvey Slaughter in the 1970s, and the program celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. Jeannene Jones-Rupert, assistant director for diversity and inclusion at Michigan Housing, said the University’s multicultural lounge program is the only one in the country that exists within college residence halls. Jones-Rupert said the program was inspired by the Black Action Movement, a student- led initiative in the 1970s that advocated for an increase in Black student enrollment and better supported community spaces for activism work. “These were spaces that were seen as hubs of connection, support, for socializing, for having programming, for coming together to talk about the advocacy work that (students) were doing on campus through their student activism work,” Jones-Rupert said. “The spaces were created out of a need for a place for culture and community and connection when there weren’t those kinds of spaces on campus.” Jones-Rupert said students were involved in the process Four candidates who are currently running for a spot on the University of Michigan Board of Regents met Monday morning at the Alexander G. Ruthven Museums Building for a Q&A moderated by Silvia Pedraza, chair of the Senate Advisory Committee of School Affairs (SACUA). The candidates are running for two spots in the Nov. 8 general election to serve an eight-year term. The contenders include incumbents Katherine White (D) and Michael Behm (D) as well as Green Party nominee Sherry Wells and Republican candidate Sevag Vartanian. Lena Epstein, the other Republican nominee for Regent, was not in attendance. The board currently consists of two Republicans and eight Democrats. All of the candidates gave brief statements before the Q&A session. Questions were chosen prior to the event and were asked either directly from the attendees or anonymously from Pedraza. Behm spoke first and discussed the challenges the University has undergone during the past eight years of his tenure. He said while the University still has not addressed all of its problems, it has taken strides toward making campus a safer, healthier and more inclusive place to learn. “One of the prime problems that I found out was with communication,” Behm said. “There was an issue you would go forward and address and instead, that did not occur with the administration, as evidenced by the no-confidence vote. So those are some issues issues that were interrelated with labor issues and also safety and the environment of safety and assault on campus.” Behm acknowledged the numerous sexual misconduct allegations against University officials that have surfaced in recent years, specifically mentioning the allegations against former University Provost Martin Philbert, as well as the thousands of abuse allegations made against late University athletic doctor Robert Anderson. Behm also discussed the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the University and the firing of former University President Mark Schlissel as some of the biggest challenges the board has faced during Behm’s time as a regent. Students, faculty and staff at the University of Michigan reported feeling less positive about the general University climate but better about the diversity, equity and climate specifically than in 2016 according to the 2021 DEI climate survey conducted at the University this past fall. The findings of the survey were discussed at a series of sessions run by the U-M Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion for all interested U-M community members on Sept. 27 in the Michigan Union and Oct. 6 in the Michigan League. Both sessions were livestreamed, recorded and posted on the U-M Diversity, Equity & Inclusion website. These results come as the campus wraps up its first DEI five-year strategic plan, in which all departments on campus were provided a guiding framework for leadership and success by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The framework was built around DEI Plan 1.0, which Chief Diversity Officer Tabbye Chavous referred to as “the first five-year plan”, prompting every department on campus to identify what DEI meant to them. Many units also came up with different practices around admissions, hiring and retention that have been implemented and are already making a difference, Chauvous explained. William Axinn, research professor in the Sociology Department, presented the survey’s approach and methodology. The 2021 survey was developed by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and mirrored the survey conducted in 2016, with new additional questions on mental health, health and COVID-19. Axinn said the online survey yielded a highly representative sample of students, staff and faculty, whose response rates were high: 49%, 62% and 64%, respectively. “This is among the very best that’s ever been done,” Axinn said. “So we’re thrilled with that.” Chavous led the conversation about the University’s DEI climate. Chavous explained the term, “climate,” and how it applies in a diversity, equity and inclusion context. “Climate is intended to feel out a temperature that’s hot or cold,” Chavous said. “You can think about the climate of a setting in the same way — is it hot or is it cold? Is it uninviting? Is it unwelcoming? It really is about how people experience a setting — what they feel, observe, see on a daily basis.” Grant Benson, Director of Data Collections for the Institute of Social Research, said he attended the event to better understand how he could implement these survey results into his work. “I want to know: how can I contribute to bringing our department into alignment with University values?” Grant said. “When you talk about diversity, inclusion and justice in some cases, what are the action steps? What’s the next step? What can we actually do to promote those values?” LSA junior Sophia Grant said she supports the University’s efforts to better incorporate DEI into campus life. “There’s definitely a lot of places where we can grow and improve,” Grant said. “Not everything is completely equitable yet. I’ve talked to people who feel like they don’t feel as represented on campus. I think it’s important that we look at the results of these surveys and look at where we can go to improve from where we are now to making U-M more equitable.” GOT A NEWS TIP? E-mail news@michigandaily.com and let us know. INDEX Vol. CXXXII, No. 95 ©2022 The Michigan Daily NEWS............................1 A R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 S TAT E M E N T . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 M I C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 O P I N I O N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1 michigandaily.com For more stories and coverage, visit Follow The Daily on Instagram, @michigandaily michigandaily.com Ann Arbor, Michigan Wednesday, October 12, 2022 ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY TWO YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Read more at MichiganDaily.com Campus Climate survey results released, University readies for phase two of equity plan Newly renovated multicultural lounges to reopen in Michigan Housing this fall Regents candidates discuss sexual misconduct, health care at forum JI HOON CHOI Daily News Contributor Read more at MichiganDaily.com Community members reflect on history of the safe spaces, design process Perceptions of DEI at ‘U’ improved, views of overall culture declined in past five years Four contenders talk platforms, answer questions about priorities and values NEWS ADMINISTRATION ‘Normalize the conversation’: Activists, politicians rally for reproductive rights Over 100 protest in support for Proposal 3 in November election Read more at MichiganDaily.com Read more at MichiganDaily.com ELLIE VICE/Daily LILA TURNER/Daily CAMPUS LIFE COURTNEY PLAZA & EMMA SPRING Daily News Contributors CARLIN PENDELL Daily Staff Reporter SAMANTHA RICH Daily Staff Reporter The Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE) chapter at the University of Michigan constructed a 36-foot long, eight-foot tall “apartheid wall” to represent the current Israeli separation wall that stretches over 400 miles in the West Bank. SAFE members stood in front of their version of the wall at the Diag on Thursday to share narratives from Palestinian refugees with attendees and passersby. The separation wall was authorized by the Israeli government in June 2002 and includes electric fences, trenches and security patrols. Since it was first built, the wall has faced international criticism from the United Nations because it illegally annexes some of the most fertile lands and water sources in the West Bank. SAFE’s wall featured paintings depicting the treatment of the more than 5 million Palestinian refugees and displayed facts about the refugees enclosed within the wall. Painted along the wall’s surface read “1.6 million Palestinians live under military blockade”, as well as other information: nearly two-thirds of those in poverty and 1.4 million of those residing in the 140-square mile Gaza strip struggle with food insecurity. LSA sophomore Bilal Irfan, SAFE board member and LSA Student Government president, said the event’s goal was to bring light to Palestinian suffering under apartheid, a term Irfan said is accepted by the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to describe the crimes committed by Israel authorities. Irfan said the narratives SAFE highlighted at the event come from Palestinians and allies. SAFE holds demonstration to stand with Palestinian refugees Students construct wall representing Israeli separation barrier on the Diag Read more at MichiganDaily.com CAMPUS LIFE GOVERNMENT SEJAL PATIL Daily Staff Reporter U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., speaks at the Reproductive Rights Rally in the Daily Monday evening. Incumbent Democrat Michael J. Behm speaks at the Regent Candidate Forum at Ruthven Building’s University Hall Monday Morning. Reproductive Rights Rally in the Daily Monday evening.